Now BNZ and Westpac have been beaten

Home affordability falls in September quarter

National home affordability fell in the September quarter, thanks to rising house prices swamping the benefits of rising wages and falling mortgage interest rates.

Thursday, November 1st 2001, 5:43PM

by Jenny Ruth

AMP Banking’s
home affordability survey conducted by Massey University showed
the latest decline followed improvements in home affordability
in each of the previous three quarters.

AMP expects home affordability will improve
again in the current quarter, thanks to further declines in mortgage
rates.

Its index, which combines data on housing
prices, mortgage interest rates and average weekly earnings, showed
a 2.1% decline in the September quarter. But for the year ended
September, homes were 11.7% more affordable.

"It is a good time for first home buyers
to consider purchasing and reviewing the wide range of loan options
currently available," says Noel Kirkwood, AMP Banking operations
manager.

The September decline was thanks to a 3.5%
rise in the national median house price which offset a 1.3% increase
in average weekly wages and the decline in mortgage rates.

The Reserve Bank cut its official cash rate,
from which other interest rates are set, from 5.75% to 5.25% on
19 September. Most economists are forecasting a further 50 basis
point cut when the central bank issues its next monetary policy
statement on 14 November.

But although national affordability fell,
six of the 11 regions the AMP survey measures saw an improvement
and Auckland’s remained unchanged in the quarter.

The four regions which dragged the index
down were Southland, where affordability fell 24.5%, Otago, down
8.1%, Waikato/Bay of Plenty/Gisborne, down 4.5% and Manawatu/Wanganui,
down 4.2%.

Compared with a year ago, all regions expect
Southland, which experience a 12.7% decline, saw an improvement
in home affordability. Nevertheless, Southland remains the cheapest
region for homes in New Zealand with the median price only 54.5%
of the national average.

The biggest improvement in home affordability
in the September quarter was in Taranaki, up 8.5% and the median
price of Taranaki houses is only slightly more expensive at 56.7%
of the national average.

Compared to a year ago, Hawkes Bay homes
saw the biggest improvement in affordability, up 19.4%, and the
median price there is 76.9% of the national average.

Auckland houses remain the most expensive
with the median prices at 128.8% of the national average, but
affordability in Auckland improved 13.7% from a year ago.